Talk Like Ted
Summary
- Ted Talk is a format of delivering an impactful presentation in less than 18 min. In this lesson you will find some useful tips to make your presentations more impactful.
- Aristotle declared that there are 3 key drivers for influence:
- Logos: appealing to logic and rational arguments
- Ethos: establishing your credibility
- Pathos: appealing to the emotions
- Although Aristotle tended to favour Logos, Carmine Gallo, in his study of over 150 hours of Ted Talks, discovered that the best Ted speakers focused much more on Ethos.
- The best Ted Talks used the 3 drivers in the following way:
- 25% – Logos
- 10% – Ethos
- 65% – Pathos (and often up to 85% telling stories)
- The best way to connect and evoke emotions is through personal stories. Research in neuroscience has revealed that when someone tells you a story, the same area of your brain and theirs will light up at the same time.
- So, ask yourself: What are the personal stories that you can tell to engage the emotions of your audience, and connect to your messages?
- Many great talks or speeches also have another thing in common: they contain one basic idea.
- Ideas are complex things, so for your next presentation, limit your talk to just one major idea.
- Choose to focus on the idea you’re most passionate about, and give yourself a chance to explain that one thing properly.
- So, if you want to Talk Like Ted, here’s what you need to do:
- Keep it short
- Focus on one idea
- Appeal to heads, hearts and values of your audience
- But most of all, appeal to the audience’s emotions by sharing personal stories
Questions
- Think of a talk that you attended, and that you remember well. What was special about this talk?
- If you have to prepare a talk, ask yourself, what are some personal anecdotes or stories that relate to the topic that could appeal to the audience’s emotions?
Practice with your Team – Guide
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